Prisoners of war in the American Revolutionary War

The Middle Dutch Church in New York City near Nassau and Cedar Streets is where hundreds of the enlisted men captured at the Battle of Long Island were imprisoned. The Sugar House next door also became a prison for thousands as the British captured more of Washington's troops from Fort Washington and other engagements during the retreat from New York. The site today is the location of One Chase Manhattan Plaza. (Image from about 1830.)[1] [2]
Interior of the British prison ship Jersey
The prison ship Jersey as moored at Wallabout Bay off Long Island, in 1782

During the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), management and treatment of prisoners of war (POWs) were very different from the standards of modern warfare. Modern standards, as outlined in the Geneva Conventions of later centuries, assume that captives will be held and cared for by their captors. One primary difference in the 18th century was that care and supplies for captives were expected to be provided by their own combatants or private resources.

  1. ^ Hanford, William H. (January 15, 1852). "Incidents of the Revolution: Recollections of the Old Sugar House Prison" (PDF). The New York Times. Retrieved February 11, 2011.
  2. ^ Lewis, Charles H. (2009). Cut Off: Colonel Jedediah Huntington's 17th Continental (Conn.) Regiment at the Battle of Long Island August 27, 1776. Westminster, MD: Heritage Books. p. 206. ISBN 978-0-7884-4924-6.